An uninterrupted blissful night sleep may be the ultimate in
Holistic RESToration. But the truth is, only few of us are able to achieve such restorative sleep; most of whom are young children. So why is it that maybe the most simplistic of
human health necessities, “
sleep” and “
restoration” elude so many of us? I believe that the answer is an inter-related myriad of habitual
lifestyle and environmental issues that are preventing us from
restoring ourselves. When our
sleep is unforgiving, we are often equally dehydrated. My experience is that our
quality of sleep and our level of
hydration are proportionate to one another. As a result, our sleep and hydration then work together to achieve
optimal health; yet there is no stronger influence on our sleep and hydration than our
diet. For it is so important to remember that everything we put into our body is either hydrating us or dehydrating us; and therefore
supporting or compromising our
restoration.

I find that when I am eating
clean food, ideally fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, my sleep is sound and my ability to attract and retain
high quality drinking
water(local spring is ideal) is most profound. The truth is, one sip of coffee or a little synthetic sugar can foster a confusing, exhausting, dehydrating, and over-eating, acidic binge. One that can begin a sleep deprivation abyss that can last weeks, months or even years. It can be so confusing, that many of us are actually numb to the fact that our daily dietary practice is dehydrating, causes headaches, and leads to stressful night sleeps. The
practice of regularly consuming a
clean and
nourishing diet, along with
optimal hydration and
restoration requires an
awareness and diligence that must be approached with ultimate reverence. Almost as if our
quality of
life depends on it. Why? Because it does.

The concept of
restoration is incredibly forgiving, and in my opinion it is worth changing anything and everything in our
lives to experience it. For when we have the
self-awareness and
discipline to live a
lifestyle focussed on restoration; optimal
health and
longevity inevitably follow. For example, some priorities to consider include: avoiding anxiety-suppressing stimulants; going horizontal (resting) when necessary regardless of the environment or time of the day; and practicing breath-work, exercise, and stretching. So how do we
start to increase
self-awareness and discipline? And now that we understand how every
action can effect our
health, how can we change our patterns to
focus more on our restoration? Our
Passion flower (
Passiflora quadrangularis) is our garden's
restoration medicine. It may just be the most
potent nervine and
sedative that we
grow. Filled with beautiful feminine moon energy, the
vibrant Passion flower (also known as
Lilikoi in Hawaiian) provides a
calming connection to mother nature that is filled with profound restorative information. The
Passion flower teaches us how to intercept the exhausting stimulants, detoxify anxiety-causing blockages, tune us into alkaline foods, increase
self-awareness of our restorative state, and inevitably help us maintain a
stress-free lifestyle. However, the
Passion flower, like all plant medicine, does not provide the cure alone. The cure resides in us, and has since the day we were born. The information to heal ourselves however, has been blocked or held captive by habitual practices, or impacted by environmental influences. The plants possess
calm and
restorative energy that can help re-educate us on how to
self-care and set that information
free. We are so
grateful for the restorative qualities of the
Passion flower, which can be experienced in our
Lilikoi Tincture and
exquisite Tranquility Tea.
USES